Restoran LYJ, Sungai Buloh

This is a post i should've done much much earlier.... So delayed this is that since my first visit, i've actually been to this place no less than 4 to 5 times, of which i've bumped into famous people like Ah Xian and Datuk Lee Chong Wei.

This place is at the Sungai Buloh new village which is just a turn away from Sri Damansara. Food is pretty good and here are some dishes we tried the first time we were there.

1) The complimentary peanuts... or are they? I believe a minimal charge is imposed, probably a few ringgit, but these are quite different from the ones we get in KL. It has an extra touch and salt and sugar. Pretty interesting.

2) Fried Fish, "Cheong Ching" style; pretty salty despite my higher tolerance for salty food, but otherwise, it's crispy and goes well with rice.
3) Fried Tofu with Black Beans; something different which i've never tried in KL before, tastes rather well as the aroma from the black beans complimented the tofu well.
4) Paku veg; the one done here is topped with fried and fresh shallots and a dash of lime juice. My favourite dish by far..... until the next one was served....
5) Stir fried pork belly in thick soy sauce and peanuts! The name says it all. The aroma, captivating, the pork was unbeatable and the peanuts were chewy. Words can't describe how good this dish tastes.
This palce is apparently famous for its "Pun Choi" which of course requires pre-booking by at least 24 hours. The total bill for what we had was RM106.00. If you're keen, do try its steamed rice glazed with lard... gosh! It's DELICIOUS, for pork and lard fans like me.
My tummy's verdict: 7.8/10.

Toilet Post#31

Toilet at The Legendary De Fa Chang Restaurant renowned for its Superior Delicious Dumplings.

Not a pretty sight for such a grand named restaurant but then sadly it's usual to find most food establishments, no matter grand or otherwise, give least consideration to this 'lil room. Nevertheless, it has what it counts by appearing clean, dry and reasonably odourless.

Reason for this feature? Note the lever for flushing. It's a step-on.Having sensory auto flush is best but don't you think that this works out to be almost as convenient and hygienic?

Similar to almost all public washbasins we came across in China (including Hongkong of course), the tap was operated on sensors - no touching of the taps to control flow of water = no transfer of germs/DNAs/wateva between users.Hmm if only something can be done about the doors.

In the event you missed, I did eat here. Legendary, I have not lived that long. I'll give it the Delicious but as for being Superior .. blame it on my Malaysianised tastebuds.

De Fa Chang Restaurant and oh ya, Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an, China

There. The figures alleged by legend to be real soldiers, buried with Emperor Qin so that they can defend him from any dangers in his afterlife. Widely pitted as the Eighth Wonder of The World.

With that out of the way, back to food.

One of the oldest and best restaurants within the walled city is located between 2 other historical buildings - The Drum Tower on the same row and The Clock Tower (doubling up a roundabout in a busy intersection) opposite it.

Everyone that's someone who had been led by locals and tourguides alike opined that this is a not to be missed restaurant and so, there we were for early lunch to beat the crowd.

Spicy Grilled Lamb Sticks. Just as good as those sold by the roadside but thinner meat on wider sticks. Served at room temperature but we requested the sticks to be reheated. They did. Yay!

In my previous post, I mentioned it's the baking summer in China so naturally the food choice cannot be without the dreaded (that's just me) Cold Dishes. But wait, the Savoury Cuttlefish is finger licking good!The rest are mostly Greens or Mushrooms tossed in oil, sesame seeds with an occasional shake of chili flakes.

Rice ('mi-fan' in Mandarin) is available but it seems to be more of a norm to have Steamed Dumplings ('mantou'). The flour is a bit on the dry side but both Shrimp Meat and Pork with Chives fillings were tasty.They do serve a kind of hot soup free of charge. Quite tasteless and we could not understand the waitress's descriptions of what ingredients went into it. The local dialect is different from our Malaysian spoken Mandarin and so are the names given for many things.

There were various sauces available on every table. Chili flakes, chili oil, chili sauce, vinegar. Garlic? Request from a serving staff and plonk, you're promptly served this:-

No, I kid you not. No, the staff was not being rude. It's just how they serve garlic. Not minced like in Malaysia but patrons are expected to peel the cloves and bite like one would a grape!

A healthy refeshing thrist quencher, Celery with Cucumber Juice (hold the sugar).

Note on the payment system in this restaurant.:

1) Order and pay for the steamed dumplings at the food counter. A receipt is issued to alert the serving staff to serve you once the dumplings are done.

2) For the cold dishes, they are pushed around in carts going from table to table (like how dimsum is served).Chose and pay upon delivery. And that's the excuse for me not being sure of the total price we paid. Nevertheless, it can be safely concluded that it was very reasonable as we did go again 2 days later.

Location: Right smack in the middle of the walled city where the famed Clock Tower and Drum Tower stands.

The 'cold' treatment towards Xi'an's World Heritage site and sight reflects my disappointment. There are those wise (bet they are ancient and wrinkled) chaps who would sing I did not do the research thoroughly. I was looking forward to do the old Bollywood moves (prance around, play hide & seek) among the Terracotta Warriors & Horses AND photograph standing BESIDE the statues!Hey, ticket was not cheap, k. AND it was a very long incinerated walk from the ticket booths to the gate and from the gate to another gate and another gate then to the final gate where they check the tickets. Easy to melt ones are strongly advised to take the tram. Just pay more.*sigh* Spoken like a true NON history buff, obviously.

Train Brand 2in1 Penang Kopi-O

"Must remember to look for it."

"Must remember to buy."

"Must remember to find carrying space for it."

"Must remember to bring."

Reminders to make sure my bed space secured.

Malaysians tend to travel overseas packed with local delicacies, no matter store bought or home made. More so when we plan to visit friends and relatives. Our food is just irreplaceable. =P So naturally when we decided to bunk in at generous friend’s abode in Hong Kong, she gave strict orders for each of us to replenish her Malaysian larder in return.

Amongst a few other dry foodstuff, I was to fulfill her order for packets of instant Kopi-O (Local Malaysian coffee with sugar drink). Choo-choo Train brand in green, she insisted. Real meticulous description, don’t you think? Ok she did furnish an empty packet for reference but I misplaced it. Hunted high and low, left right and center (of course) at the retailers’ shelves. ..‘foh-cheh’.. train.. ‘huey-cheah’.. choo-choo.. keretapi.. Found! Of course I was curious so I bought my share and tried. Potent and not too sweet. I was hooked.And that was a post hibernating in my backlog until today, a year later, finally published. *shy*

Nevertheless, it's no loss but more information to gain. They've change the packaging slightly but luckily the authentic old kopitiam kopi-o taste remains. Todate, friends and I are still hooked on it. It's Margarine roasted AND produced in Penang! Sadly, most Kuala Lumpur grocers still do not carry the product and those that do, more often than not, run out of stock.

Latest, it now has a 3 in 1 version (coffee with sugar and creamer). Forget it.

Price:- around RM6.40 for 20 individual sachets in a shiny bag.

Location: Last bought from Cold Storage, Ikano Power Center, Damansara Perdana. Purchase before from Giant Hypermarket Bandar Kinrara, Puchong. Heard it is available at Central Hypermarket, Off Old Klang Road too. Quite elusive as searches conducted at other popular hypermarkets, supermarkets and several sundry shops turned up empty.

Trivia thot:

Pssst here’s a tip for a non-food gift to bring over to that ex-British colony. Electric jug kettle in the circa of RM60. It was in friend’s order list. Apparently there’re only expensive brands for sale there. And for Perth dwellers, rice cookers!

By the looks of the speed of my China posts, obviously I'm taking a looongggggg coffee break. =P